Hoe gaat het?
In Dutch, 'how are you?' is expressed as Hoe gaat het?
Hoe gaat het? is a common greeting used to ask someone about their general well-being. Unlike in English, where 'How are you?' often serves as a standard social greeting, Hoe gaat het? is often treated as a genuine inquiry into a person's actual state.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Hoe gaat het? literally translates to 'How goes it?'
How does it change in a sentence?
You can make the question more direct and personal in informal settings by adding 'met jou' to the phrase, resulting in Hoe gaat het met jou? Conversely, using 'met u' instead of 'met jou' makes the question formal and polite: Hoe gaat het met u?
When do people say it?
When someone asks Hoe gaat het?, a common response is Goed, dank je, meaning 'Good, thank you.'
Did you know?
- The word het in this phrase is a linguistic survivor of a contraction. It originally stems from the Middle Dutch 'dat', which was shortened to 't in speech before merging with the modern pronoun het.
- In many Dutch social circles, responding to Hoe gaat het? with a long list of complaints is actually quite common. Since it is a genuine question, people often use it as an opening to vent about their day.
- In very informal settings, Dutch speakers may drop the Hoe entirely and simply ask Gaat het?, turning the greeting into a direct check on the other person's well-being.
Examples in context
- Niet zo goed, en met jou/u?Not so good, and you?
- Hoe gaat het met je familie?How is your family doing?
Example conversation
Sophie meets Daan on the street.
- SophieHoi Daan, hoe gaat het?Hi Daan, how are you?
- DaanMet mij gaat het goed, dank je.I am doing well, thank you.
- SophieDat is fijn om te horen.That is good to hear.
- DaanEn met jou, Sophie?And with you, Sophie?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries het, hoe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
